After a quick shower, Alexis made her way to the yacht's kitchen area. She had been a bit dismayed at the realization that she had forgotten to bring a change of clothes over last night and was forced to re-wear her uniform from yesterday. So she would have to make a trip back over to the girls' dorm sometime today, hopefully avoiding any questions since she wasn't ready to face any just yet.
Aster smiled widely at her arrival, as if they hadn't just seen each other less than an hour earlier, and Alexis couldn't help returning it. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to the wonderful reality that they now had forever to spend with each other, happy and in love.
Aster pulled out a chair at the table for Alexis in a gentlemanly gesture. "I bet you're hungry. What would you like?"
"Just a bowl of cereal is fine if you have any of that cinnamon wheat one left. And some orange juice," Alexis decided.
"Coming right up," Aster agreed easily. He then got to work fetching things around the kitchen.
"So… About yesterday, I was wondering just how you were able to find me that fast in the first place. Not to mention that you must have had to get past tons of Society of Light drones. Just what happened exactly?" Aster asked with genuine curiosity now that he had time to reflect on the whole situation more.
Alexis looked slightly embarrassed as she recalled her sudden sense of unease yesterday that Aster had been in trouble somehow. "I didn't know, exactly. I just…had a bad feeling after you wouldn't answer my text for awhile and I felt like it wasn't a coincidence with everything we knew and it being the last day of the tournament."
Aster nodded in understanding. "Sometimes precognition can work like that. What happened after that?"
"I found Chancellor Sheppard with his helicopter crashed, and he told me what you'd been up to and that you were going after Sartorius. I still can't believe you jumped out of a helicopter, though," Alexis said ruefully.
Aster looked slightly offended at Alexis' opinion. "Yeah, well…I guess I don't always make the most rational decisions when I want to rescue someone right away. But it's not like that jump was anything I couldn't handle."
Alexis waved her hand in surrender. "Point taken. Just try to be a little more careful in the future, please."
"Hopefully there won't be anymore of that to worry about in the future. But enough of that, let's get back to your story," Aster changed the topic quickly. He didn't want anything in his mood to concern Alexis since he wasn't ready to talk about his nightmare from last night just yet and ruin the peacefulness of their first real breakfast together.
Alexis could tell that something was weighing on Aster's mind right now and knew that he wasn't bringing it up out of consideration for her. But she knew that she'd be able to get it out of him at the right time as long as she gave him a chance to relax more. She'd learned the hard way that he couldn't always be pushed when he wasn't ready to discuss something. He had to plan everything to figure out the right course of action to take, almost like a duel itself.
Alexis continued her story as if nothing had happened. "Once I got inside the building, there was a welcoming committee of sorts there to greet me. I had to duel against a bunch of the White dorm drones just to get to you."
Aster looked surprised at how casually Alexis recounted her ambush. "You mean you didn't try to run away from them or anything? I mean, I thought a duel with those stakes again would trigger your panic attacks."
"That's the thing. I didn't think of any of that. All I could focus on was getting to you. Dueling just doesn't seem scary anymore knowing there are worse things that could happen. But I was ready this time," Alexis admitted seriously.
Aster couldn't help smiling at how much Alexis had changed from when he first found her in the dueling arena that night. She wasn't hyper-focusing on her fears anymore when she tried to face them, and she had gotten stronger for it. "I didn't get a chance to say it before, but thanks for saving me Alexis. I heard from Jaden and the others that you got me away from that lava death trap, too. I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."
Alexis took Aster's hand in her own and looked straight into his eyes without flinching. "And I'd do it all again if I had to."
Aster stared at their joined hands for a few seconds, trying to strengthen his resolve before saying what he wanted to Alexis. "I know it sounds as if I beat myself up a lot, but not being able to win that duel to save Sartorius really did hurt. I had promised a long time ago that I'd save him when he was in trouble, and not being able to help your best friend can make you feel like the most useless person in the world. I want to get stronger so that I can be someone who can always protect people. And also so that I can protect you, Alexis. But I also know that the results from our efforts can still end up helping in some way even if it's not the outcome we would have preferred the most. What I'm saying is…I'm trying to change, it just might take awhile for me to get all the way "there", if you know what I mean."
Alexis nodded slightly in understanding at Aster's confession. The incident had left scars on both of them, but they could heal them eventually with support from each other and their friends. "I'm with you all the way, Aster."
AN: In case you're wondering, Aster still has yet to tell Alexis about his nightmare. But that will come in a chapter or two later where he'll also reflect on D's actions and how he saw some things about him while growing up. The traffic stats have been broken for months now, so I'd appreciate any reviews if you've found yourself invested in this story. Keep in mind I said invested in this story, not invested in being an asshole about it.
